Communication relay apparatus and setting method

ABSTRACT

A communication relay apparatus includes a plurality of LAN ports configured to receive LAN cables respectively, at least one switch configured to switch to any one of a plurality of states, and an aggregator configured to specify a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports in accordance with a state that is designated in the at least one switch, and conduct redundancy or expansion of a communication bandwidth with respect to a communication performed through the LAN cables that are received in the specified LAN ports.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application (No.2016-202188) filed on Oct. 14, 2016, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a communication relay apparatus and asetting method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a network, conventionally, a redundant configuration is employed inorder to prevent a communication from being interrupted by a failure ofa circuit or an apparatus. Moreover, it is requested to ensure thecommunication bandwidth. Therefore, a link aggregation function in whichan LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) that is defined by IEEE802.3ad is used has attracted attention as one of means for expandingthe communication bandwidth and realizing a redundant configuration. Thelink aggregation function is a function of logically dealing a pluralityof LAN (Local Area Network) ports of a LAN switch as one circuit.

In order to logically deal a plurality of LAN ports as one circuit, itis usual that a LAN switch is set by using a command (for example, seeJP-A-2004-349764).

However, there is a problem that it is cumbersome to perform such asetting by using a command.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has been conducted in order to solve the problem in theprior art. It is an object of the invention to provide a communicationrelay apparatus and a setting method thereof in which a plurality of LANports can be logically dealt as one circuit in an easier manner.

According to the invention, there is provided a communication relayapparatus including:

a plurality of LAN ports configured to receive LAN cables respectively;

at least one switch configured to switch to any one of a plurality ofstates; and

an aggregator configured to specify a combination of two or more of theplurality of LAN ports in accordance with a state that is designated inthe at least one switch, and conduct redundancy or expansion of acommunication bandwidth with respect to a communication performedthrough the LAN cables that are received in the specified LAN ports.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a settingmethod of a communication relay apparatus including at least one switchand a plurality of LAN ports which is configured to receive LAN cablesrespectively, the setting method including:

switching to any one of a plurality of states by the at least oneswitch;

specifying a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports inaccordance with a state that is designated in the switching process; and

conducting redundancy or expansion of a communication bandwidth withrespect to a communication performed through the LAN cables that arereceived in the LAN ports specified in the specifying process.

According to the invention, it is possible to provide a communicationrelay apparatus in which a plurality of LAN ports can be logically dealtas one circuit in an easier manner and a setting method thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure example of a communication relayapparatus of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communicationrelay apparatus of the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a storage section of the communicationrelay apparatus of the embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a chart showing the operation flow in the case where the usersets a combination of LAN ports in the communication relay apparatus ofthe embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a structure example of a communication relayapparatus of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a storage section of the communicationrelay apparatus of the other embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described withreference to the drawings. The embodiments which will be described beloware examples of embodiments of the invention, and the invention is notlimited to these embodiments. In the drawings to which the descriptionof the embodiments will refer, identical components or components havingsimilar functions are denoted by the same reference numerals or similarnumerals (numerals suffixed with a letter such as a or b), and theirduplicate descriptions will be sometimes omitted.

First Embodiment [Configuration of Communication Relay Apparatus]

A communication relay apparatus 1 will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structure example of thecommunication relay apparatus of the embodiment of the invention, andFIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the communicationrelay apparatus of the embodiment of the invention.

The communication relay apparatus 1 includes a plurality of LAN ports 11a to 11 d, switches (physical switch) 13 a, 13 b, an aggregation section15 (aggregator), a storage section 17, a switch 19, a setting section 20(setter), and LEDs (notification section) 21 a to 21 d. For example, thecommunication relay apparatus 1 is a network apparatus such as a routeror a LAN switch. With respect to components, i.e., the LAN ports 11 a to11 d, the switches 13 a, 13 b, or the LEDs 21 a to 21 d, in the casewhere it is not necessary to particularly distinguish the componentsfrom one another, the letters suffixed to the reference numeral areomitted, and the components are generally indicated by the LAN ports 11,the switches 13, or the LEDs 21.

A LAN cable can be inserted into any one of the LAN ports 11. Each ofthe switches 13 can be switched to any one of a plurality of states.Each of the switches 13 has a movable region. The plurality of statesare switched in accordance with movements of the switches 13. Forexample, the switches 13 can be switched between the ON and OFF states.It is a matter of course that the switches 13 may be switched not onlybetween two stages but also among multiple or more than two stages. Inthe embodiment, each of the switches 13 is configured by a DIP (DualIn-lime Package) switch. However, the switches are not limited to DIPswitches as far as the states of the switches can be physicallyswitched.

In the embodiment, the number of the switches 13 is two. In accordancewith the number of combinations of LAN ports, the switches may consistof one switch or a plurality of or more than two switches. In the casewhere one switch 13 is used, two kinds of combinations of LAN ports areobtained. In the case of where two switches are used as the switches 13,four kinds of combinations of LAN ports are obtained. In the case ofwhere an n number of switches are used as the switches 13, 2^(n) kindsof combinations of LAN ports are obtained. In the embodiment, theswitches 13 are not correlated with the LAN ports 11.

The storage section 17 stores a table in which the states designated bythe switches 13 are made correspond to combinations of LAN ports.Hereinafter, the storage section 17 will be described with reference toFIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the storage section of thecommunication relay apparatus of the embodiment of the invention. Thestorage section 17 stores that, when the memory ID is “1”, the switch 13a is in the OFF state, the switch 13 b is in the OFF state, and there isno combination of the LAN ports. The symbol “-” in FIG. 3 means that therelevant LAN port is not used in a bundle, but independently used. Thestorage section 17 further stores that, when the memory ID is “2”, theswitch 13 s is in the OFF state, the switch 13 b is in the ON state, andthe LAN port 11 a and the LAN port 11 b are combined (bundled) with eachother as Group A. Although, in the embodiment, the storage section 17stores four kinds of combinations, the number of the stored combinationsmay be different in accordance with the number of the switches 13.

In the case where the combinations stored in the storage section 17 havebeen determined without setting by the user, it is said that“initialization” has been performed. When the apparatus is initializedin this way, the user can designate the ON/OFF states of the switches,and the combination of LAN ports 11 corresponded to the state designatedin the switches is read out from the storage section 17, therebyenabling the plurality of LAN ports 11 to be logically dealt as onecircuit. In the case where the user wishes to use the LAN ports 11 a, 11b as Group A, and the LAN ports 11 c, 11 d as Group B, for example, theuser is requested only to set the switch 13 a to ON, and the switch 13 bto OFF.

The storage section 17 includes a storage area which stores programs forrealizing the functions of the aggregation section 15 and settingsection 20 that will be described later, and application programs forrealizing various functions. Examples of the storage section 17 are amagnetic recording medium such as a hard disk, and a nonvolatile memorysuch as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read OnlyMemory) or a flash memory. The programs may be executable by a computer,and provided in a state where the programs are stored in a computerreadable storage medium such as a magnetic storage medium, an opticalstorage medium, a magnetooptical storage medium, or a semiconductormemory. In this case, the communication relay apparatus 1 may include adevice for reading the storage medium. The storage section 17 may bedisposed outside the communication relay apparatus 1.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the description will be made. Inaccordance with the state designated in the switches 13, the aggregationsection 15 specifies a combination of two or more of the plurality ofLAN ports 11, and conducts redundancy or expansion of the communicationbandwidth with respect to a communication which is performed through theLAN cables that are inserted into the specified LAN ports. In theexample of FIG. 3, when the switch 13 a is set to the OFF state, and theswitch 13 b is set to the ON state, the aggregation section 15 specifiesthe LAN port combination as the LAN ports 11 a, 11 b from thecorresponding table of the storage section 17, and realizes redundancyor expansion of the communication bandwidth with respect to acommunication which is performed through the LAN cables that areinserted into the specified LAN ports 11 a, 11 b. That is, theaggregation section 15 realizes a function of logically dealing the LANports 11 a, 11 b as one circuit. Here, examples of the realization ofredundancy may be not only Link Aggregation using an LACP that isdefined by IEEE 802.3ad, but also a method (such as the link redundant)which does not use an LACP that is defined by IEEE 802.3ad.

The setting section 20 writes the correspondence in the table of thestorage section 17 while making the state designated in the switches,correspond to a combination of the LAN ports. The setting section 20operates in the case where the user sets correspondence between thestate designated in the switches and a combination of LAN ports. This isapplicable also to the switch 19. The operation will be described laterin detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The aggregation section 15 and the setting section 20 realize a functionof causing a CPU (computer) to execute programs stored in the storagesection 17, and performing processes. A part or all of the configurationfor realizing the function may be formed not only by software by meansof execution of programs, but also by hardware.

The LEDs 21 notify that a LAN cable is inserted into the LAN ports 11.The LEDs 21 a to 21 d are made correspond to the LAN ports 11 a to 11 d,respectively.

The structure and configuration of the communication relay apparatus 1have been described in the above. The minimum configuration of thecommunication relay apparatus 1 consists of the LAN ports 11, switches13, and aggregation section 15 which are enclosed by broken lines inFIG. 2. The other configurations in FIG. 2 may be adequately added.

[Setting Mode]

Next, not the initialization, the case where the user oneself sets acombination of LAN ports, i.e., a setting mode will be described withreference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a chart showing the operation flow in thecase where the user sets a combination of LAN ports in the communicationrelay apparatus of the embodiment of the invention. Hereinafter, a casewhere, in the example of FIG. 3, the LAN ports 11 a and 11 b are set inthe memory ID “2” as Group A will be described.

Firstly, when the communication relay apparatus 1 is powered on, theflow in FIG. 4 is started. Then, it is determined whether the switch 19is turned ON (the first setting operation is performed) or not (stepS101). If the switch 19 is turned ON (Yes in step S101), thecommunication relay apparatus 1 is switched to the setting mode (stepS103). By contrast, if the switch 19 is not turned ON (No in step S101),step S101 is repeated. The memory ID which will be stored in the storagesection 17 is determined depending on the designations of the switches13 a and 13 b at the timing when the switch 19 is turned ON. This willbe described by using the example shown in FIG. 3. In the case where, atthe timing when the switch 19 is turned ON, the switch 13 a is OFF, andthe switch 13 b is ON, the memory ID to be stored is “2”.

Then, it is determined whether a LAN cable is inserted into the LANports 11 or not (step S105). In the embodiment, the insertion of a LANcable into the LAN ports 11 is determined depending on whether thecommunication relay apparatus 1 detects a link-up or not. If a LAN cableis inserted into the LAN ports 11 (Yes in step S105), the LEDs 21 notifyof the insertion (step S107). When a LAN cable is inserted into the LANport 11 a, for example, the LED 21 a corresponding to the LAN port 11 alights ON. By contrast, if a LAN cable is not inserted into the LANports 11 (No in step S105), the process proceeds to step S109.

Next, it is determined whether the switch 19 is turned OFF (the secondsetting operation is performed) or not (step S109). If the switch 19 isturned OFF (Yes in step S109), the position(s) of the LAN port(s) 11into which a LAN cable is inserted at this timing is stored (step S111).In the case where LAN cables are inserted respectively into the LANports 11 a, 11 b, 11 c, the positions of these LAN ports are stored.When the storing operation has been performed, the process returns tostep S101. Even if, at the timing of step S105, a LAN cable has beeninserted into the LAN port 11, when the LAN cable is extracted from theLAN port 11 before the OFF operation (second setting operation) of theswitch 19, the position of this LAN port 11 is not stored in the storagesection 17. By contrast, if the switch 19 is not turned OFF (No in stepS109), the process returns to step S105. The operation flow in thesetting mode has been described.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a structure example of a communication relayapparatus of another embodiment of the invention. The communicationrelay apparatus 1A of the embodiment has a structure which isapproximately same as that of the communication relay apparatus 1 of thefirst embodiment. Unlike the communication relay apparatus 1, in thecommunication relay apparatus 1A, the switches 13 are disposed for theLAN ports 11, respectively. In other words, the switches 13 arecorrelated with the LAN ports 11, respectively.

The switches 13 a to 13 d are made correspond to the LAN ports 11 a to11 d, respectively. When, in the setting mode, the LAN ports 11 a, 11 b,11 c are to be set as Group A, for example, the switches 13 a, 13 b, 13c corresponding respectively to the LAN ports are turned ON, and theswitch 13 d is turned OFF, thereby enabling the setting to be performed.

Also in the embodiment, the effects same as those of the firstembodiment are attained. Furthermore, the switches 13 are disposed forthe LAN ports 11, respectively, and therefore there is a further effectthat the user can easily understand the setting operation in the settingmode.

<Modification 1>

The above embodiments have been described under the assumption that theswitch 19 is a DIP switch, the first setting operation is the turning ONof the switch 19, and the second setting operation is the turning OFF ofthe switch 19. It is a matter of course that the invention is notlimited to this. The patterns of the first and second setting operationsmay be interchanged. Moreover, the method of operating the switch 19 isnot limited to the above-described method, as far as the predeterminedoperation of switching to the setting mode, and that of storing theposition of a LAN port in the state where a LAN cable is inserted intothe LAN port can be performed. The operation may be an operation oflong-pressing a button which can be long-pressed, or that of pressing abutton a predetermined number of times.

Also in the modification, the effects same as those of theabove-described embodiments are attained.

<Modification 2>

The above embodiments have been described under the assumption that theinsertion of a LAN cable into the LAN ports 11 is determined dependingon whether the communication relay apparatus 1 detects a link-up or not.It is a matter of course that the invention is not limited to this. Theinsertion of a LAN cable into the LAN ports 11 may be determined byusing a phot-interrupter or another non-contact sensor.

Also in the modification, the effects same as those of theabove-described embodiments and Modification 1 are attained.

<Modification 3>

The above embodiments have been described under the assumption that theLAN ports 11 are objects which can be combined as a group. It is amatter of course that the LAN ports 11 may include ports which areobjects to be combined as a group, and those which are not objects to becombined as a group. In an example shown in FIG. 6, LAN ports 11 e, 11f, 11 g, 11 h are ports which are not objects to be combined as a group.A configuration where, depending on the user setting, LAN ports whichare objects to be combined as a group can be switched may be possible.

Also in the modification, the effects same as those of theabove-described embodiments and the above-described modifications areattained.

<Modification 4>

The above embodiments have been described under the assumption that theswitches 13 are physically movable switches such as DIP switches. It isa matter of course that the switches 13 are not limited to this. Theswitches may be button-type switches which, when pressed and thenreleased, return to the original position. Alternatively, switches whichare not physically movable, and in which touching is detectedelectrically or optically, such as touch sensors may be used. In such aswitch, when touching is performed one time, for example, the switch isset to the ON state, and, when further touching is performed one time,the switch is set to the OFF state. When the ON/OFF state is designated,the combination of the LAN ports 11 which is made correspond to thestate designated in the switches is read out from the storage section17, and the plurality of LAN ports 11 can be logically dealt as onecircuit.

Also in the modification, the effects same as those of theabove-described embodiments and the above-described modifications areattained.

Here, the above embodiments are summarized as follows.

(1) A communication relay apparatus includes:

a plurality of LAN ports configured to receive LAN cables respectively;

at least one switch configured to switch to any one of a plurality ofstates; and

an aggregator configured to specify a combination of two or more of theplurality of LAN ports in accordance with a state that is designated inthe at least one switch, and conduct redundancy or expansion of acommunication bandwidth with respect to a communication performedthrough the LAN cables that are received in the specified LAN ports.

(2) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to theitem (1), the at least one switch has a movable region; and one of theplurality of states is switched to another of the plurality of states inaccordance with movement of the at least one switch.

(3) For example, the communication relay apparatus according to the item(1) or (2), further includes:

a setter configured to correspond a state designated in the at least oneswitch to a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports,

wherein the aggregator is configured to specify the combination of twoor more of the plurality of LAN ports based on the correspondence in thesetter.

(4) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to theitem (3), the setter is configured to correspond a state designated inthe at least one switch at a timing of switching to a setting mode to acombination of two or more of the LAN ports which receive the LAN cablesat a timing of completion of the setting mode.

(5) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to theitem (4), the switching to the setting mode is performed when a switchor a button that is different from the at least one switch is operated.

For example, the communication relay apparatus further includes anotifier configured to notify that the LAN cable is received in the LANport.

(6) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to anyone of the items (1) to (5), the at least one switch includes aplurality of switches.

For example, in the communication relay apparatus, the at least oneswitch is disposed for each of the plurality of LAN ports.

(7) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to anyone of the items (1) to (6), the aggregator is configured to specify thecombination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports in accordancewith the state that is designated in the at least one switch, based oninformation which corresponds the state designated in the at least oneswitch to the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports.

(8) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to anyone of the items (1) to (7), when the state that is designated in the atleast one switch is a specific state, the specific state is correspondedto a plurality of combinations of the plurality of LAN ports.

(9) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to theitem (7) or (8), the information which corresponds the state designatedin the at least one switch to the combination of two or more of theplurality of LAN ports is configured to correspond a specific state to afirst combination and a second combination of the plurality of LANports; and the first combination and the second combination of theplurality of LAN ports are combinations using different LAN ports in theplurality of LAN ports.

(10) For example, in the communication relay apparatus according to anyone of the items (1) to (9), the switch is a physical switch or a touchswitch which electrically or optically detects an operation of a user.

(11) A setting method of a communication relay apparatus including atleast one switch and a plurality of LAN ports which is configured toreceive LAN cables respectively, includes:

switching to any one of a plurality of states by the at least oneswitch;

specifying a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports inaccordance with a state that is designated in the switching process; and

conducting redundancy or expansion of a communication bandwidth withrespect to a communication performed through the LAN cables that arereceived in the LAN ports specified in the specifying process.

(12) For example, in the setting method according to the item (11),

the at least one switch has a movable region; and

one of the plurality of states is switched to another of the pluralityof states in accordance with movement of the at least one switch.

(13) For example, the setting method according to the item (11) or (12),further includes:

corresponding the state designated in the switching process to acombination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports,

wherein the specifying process specifies the combination of two or moreof the plurality of LAN ports based on the correspondence in thecorresponding process.

(14) For example, the setting method according to the item (13), furtherincludes:

storing a state designated in the at least one switch at a timing ofswitching to a setting mode;

detecting that any ones of the LAN cables are inserted into the LANports during the setting mode; and

corresponding the state stored in the storing process to a combinationof the LAN ports into which the any ones of the LAN cables are insertedat a timing of completion of the setting mode.

(15) For example, in the setting method according to the item (14), theswitching to the setting mode is performed when a switch or a buttonthat is different from the at least one switch is operated.

(16) For example, in the setting method according to any one of theitems (11) to (15), the at least one switch includes a plurality ofswitches.

(17) For example, in the setting method according to any one of theitems (11) to (16), the specifying process specifies the combination oftwo or more of the plurality of LAN ports in accordance with the statethat is designated in the at least one switch, based on informationwhich corresponds the state designated in the at least one switch to thecombination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports.

(18) For example, in the setting method according to any one of theitems (11) to (17), when the state that is designated in the at leastone switch is a specific state, the specific state is corresponded to aplurality of combinations of the plurality of LAN ports.

(19) For example, in the setting method according to the item (17) or(18), the information which corresponds the state designated in the atleast one switch to the combination of two or more of the plurality ofLAN ports is configured to correspond a specific state to a firstcombination and a second combination of the plurality of LAN ports; andthe first combination and the second combination of the plurality of LANports are combinations using different LAN ports in the plurality of LANports.

(20) For example, in the setting method according to any one of theitems (11) to (19), the switch is a physical switch or a touch switchwhich electrically or optically detects an operation of a user.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and maybe adequately changed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A communication relay apparatus comprising: a plurality of LAN ports configured to receive LAN cables respectively; at least one physical switch provided on a body of the communication relay apparatus and being configured to switch to any one of a plurality of states; and an aggregator configured to specify a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports in accordance with a state that is designated in the at least one physical switch based on information which corresponds the state designated in the at least one physical switch to the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports, and conduct redundancy of a communication bandwidth with respect to a communication performed through the LAN cables that are received in the specified LAN ports.
 22. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the at least one physical switch electrically or optically detects an operation of a user.
 23. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the at least one physical switch has a movable region; and one of the plurality of states is switched to another of the plurality of states in accordance with movement of the at least one physical switch.
 24. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the at least one physical switch has a movable region to switch to any one of the plurality of states; and the aggregator is configured to specify the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports in accordance with the state designated in the at least one physical switch based on information which corresponds the state designated in the at least one physical switch which is positioned at one of stages in the movable region; to the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports.
 25. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: a storage is disposed outside the body of the communication relay apparatus.
 26. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the aggregator configured to conduct the redundancy based on a Link Aggregation defined by IEEE 802.3ad.
 27. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the aggregator configured to conduct the redundancy based on a link redundant.
 28. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: each of the plurality of LAN ports has a LED which notify of an insertion of the LAN cable into the corresponding LAN port.
 29. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: an insertion of a LAN cable into at least one of the plurality of LAN ports is determined based on whether the communication relay apparatus detects a link-up or not.
 30. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: an insertion of a LAN cable into at least one of the plurality of LAN ports is determined based on a detection of a non-contact sensor.
 31. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising: a setter configured to correspond a state designated in the at least one physical switch to a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports, wherein the aggregator is configured to specify the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports based on the correspondence in the setter.
 32. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 25, wherein: the setter is configured to correspond a state designated in the at least one physical switch at a timing of switching to a setting mode to a combination of two or more of the LAN ports which receive the LAN cables at a timing of completion of the setting mode.
 33. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 32, wherein: the communication relay apparatus is switched to the setting mode when a switch or a button that is different from the at least one physical switch is operated.
 34. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: when the state that is designated in the at least one physical switch is a specific state, the specific state is corresponded to a plurality of combinations of the plurality of LAN ports.
 35. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the information which corresponds the state designated in the at least one physical switch to the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports is configured to correspond a first specific state to a first combination of the plurality of LAN ports and a second specific state to a second combination of the plurality of LAN ports; and the first combination and the second combination of the plurality of LAN ports are combinations using different LAN ports in the plurality of LAN ports.
 36. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: If the at least one physical switch is turned OFF, information on the LAN port into which a LAN cable is inserted at a timing that the at least one physical switch is turned OFF is stored.
 37. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the communication relay apparatus is a LAN switch.
 38. The communication relay apparatus according to claim 21, wherein: the communication relay apparatus is a router.
 39. A communication relay apparatus comprising: a plurality of LAN ports configured to receive LAN cables respectively; at least one physical switch provided on a main body and configured to switch to any one of a plurality of states; and an aggregator configured to specify a combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports in accordance with a state that is designated in the at least one physical switch based on information which corresponds the state designated in the at least one physical switch to the combination of two or more of the plurality of LAN ports, and conduct expansion of a communication bandwidth with respect to a communication performed through the LAN cables that are received in the specified LAN ports. 